1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology capable of controlling a peripheral device over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, along with development of network infrastructure, network-ready peripheral devices, including inkjet printers, laser beam printers, copiers, facsimiles, scanners, digital cameras, and multifunction information processing apparatuses having the functions of the above devices, have rapidly come into wide use. This is accompanied by distribution (sale) of applications that are used for controlling the peripheral devices and monitoring the states thereof and that are manufactured by third parties, which have no relationship with the manufacturers of the peripheral devices, from the third parties to users.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-152946 discloses a system that displays information concerning the ink loaded in a printer, which is a peripheral device, in a display program (a driver program providing a user interface or a status monitor) in an information processing apparatus connected to the printer through a network in real time. In the implementation of Universal Plug and Play or Web Service, mechanisms in which display programs or drivers transmit and/or receive status information (such as the type of ink and errors in peripheral devices) to and/or from language monitors or printers in the form including a predetermined definition of presentation have been provided. For example, with regard to text-base information, both status information and presentation information defining how the status information is displayed have been increasingly transmitted from the language monitors and the printers to status monitors or the like.
However, in the above situations in which statuses are transmitted and/or received by using messages in the form including the predetermined definition of presentation, displaying the received messages in the display programs by using the predetermined definition of presentation can cause problems. For example, on the assumption that an application (a status monitor or a driver providing a user interface) is manufactured by MMN company that is a third party having no relationship with XYZ company, which is the manufacturer of the printer, it is difficult or is not possible for the MMN company to acquire the accurate names of ink for the printer from the XYZ company. Consequently, there are cases in which the names of ink for the printer, defined by the MMN company having no relationship with the XYZ company, which is the manufacturer of the printer, are displayed and the displayed names of ink are different from formal names defined by the XYZ company. In such cases, there is a problem in that users can be confused in the loading or purchasing of the ink.
Furthermore, when the names of ink in English are returned where the language used by the display program is Japanese, the names of ink can be displayed in English despite the fact that the names of ink are desirably displayed in Japanese in the display program. The names of ink are only examples of information processed in the display program and are not limitedly used in inkjet printers, unless otherwise specified. Any displayable status and error information, including the information concerning errors occurring in other peripheral devices, may be displayed in the display program.